"Zack, we're boarding now!" my friend Ethan called out.
As Ethan and I settled into our seats on the ship transporting us from Atlas Academy to Beacon Academy, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness. This was a big step for both of us, and the unknown future ahead was quite daunting.
I looked across the room at the two other people also transferring. From what I knew, they were from Shade Academy in the Kingdom of Vacuo, and I could sense a similar unease stemming from their direction. The atmosphere in the room was tense and awkward, and I could tell that none of us were comfortable in each other's company.
Ethan and I had been friends since our first year at Atlas, and we had always been close. We shared many interests and had been through a lot together, but our fierce rivalry kept us closest.
I decided to break the tension and initiate a conversation with the other two transfers. They seemed nice enough and introduced themselves as Aroche and Ross, and it would be better for all of us if we got to know each other better. We exchanged pleasantries and talked about our respective journeys to Beacon Academy. We had a lot in common, and as we chatted, the atmosphere in the room began to lighten.
As the hours passed, our little group became more relaxed and comfortable with each other. We shared stories and jokes, and it felt like we had known each other for longer than a few hours. Soon Aroche revealed that he had brought a board game with him.
"This is Monopoly!" Aroche stated, "It's a friendship-ruining game, all about the eventualities of capitalism!"
Everyone stared at him, not quite catching what he said but still excited enough to do something instead of just sitting around telling stories.
"And that's game!" Ethan said, finishing Ross's empire with enough stockpiled debt to crush a country. "Looks like in the end, I'm the winner!" The victory, however, felt shortlived as the board and its assets went flying as the ship came to a stop. Looking out, I saw that we had arrived at Beacon Academy.
Now Arriving at Beacon Academy, I felt like I had known the two of them for years. As the ship came to a stop, Ethan and I gathered our things and prepared to disembark. We said goodbye to Aroche and Ross, exchanging contact information amongst our scrolls so that we could stay in touch. It was strange to think that we had been strangers just a few hours ago, and now we were leaving as friends.
As we made our way off the ship and onto the grounds of Beacon Academy, we were greeted by the sight of the towering main building. It was an impressive sight, and I felt a sense of excitement and anticipation growing inside me.
We were met by the headmaster, Professor Ozpin, who introduced himself and welcomed us to Beacon Academy. He explained that the four of us had been selected to form a team together and that we would be working closely with each other for the duration of our time at the academy.
"I hope you all get used to each other because as of now, you are all team ZERA!" the Headmaster said.
After the brief introduction, we were brought to our rooms. The rooms were spacious and well-appointed, with all the amenities we needed for a comfortable stay. As we settled in, Ethan and I chatted excitedly about the adventure ahead. Despite the long journey and new challenges that awaited us, I was still drained from the trip and quickly faded to sleep.
"YO, ZACH, WAKE THE FUCK UP. WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Ethan shouted into my face, waking me up in the worst way possible. "We already missed breakfast," he said, "and I at least ain't gonna miss our first class!"
We quickly dressed and headed to the class, noting that neither Ross nor Aroche had woken us up. As the students filed into the Grimm Studies classroom on their first morning at Beacon Academy, they were greeted by the sight of the professor, Peter Port, who stood at the front of the room, shuffling through papers.
"Good morning, students," Peter said, his voice booming. "I am Professor Peter Port, and I will be your instructor for Grimm Studies this semester."
Peter was a portly man with a thick mustache and a penchant for using dad jokes in his lectures. While some students found him entertaining, others saw him quite dull.
Today, Peter was teaching about the different parts of a Grimm. He displayed diagrams of different types of Grimm on a projector and pointed out their various body parts and features.
"The Beowulf Grimm, for example, has razor-sharp claws and a powerful jaw that can easily crush bones," he explained, gesturing to a diagram of the creature. "And the Nevermore Grimm has massive wings that allow it to fly high above the battlefield, raining down destruction on its enemies."
"Isn't that the guy from the board game Ethan?" I quipped, "Bro looks a little rounder than he did on the box." Now silently dying from laughter, Ethan nodded his head; as the professor looked over, he quickly motioned to silence us and then steadily went back on talking about Grimm.
Peter's enthusiasm grew as he went through each type of Grimm, and he began to pepper his lecture with more and more dad jokes. Some of the students chuckled, while others rolled their eyes and focused on taking notes.
Despite the occasional groan-inducing pun, Peter's lecture was boring yet informative. I had to admit that I left the classroom with a greater understanding of the creatures they would face in our future battles.
As I made my way to our second class, World History, with Ethan close behind, I couldn't help but feel almost disappointed. I had assumed the famed Beacon Academies courses would be more intensive, especially after taking a year at the Northern Atlas Academy.
Nevertheless, we entered the classroom and were greeted by the sight of the scruffy, green-haired Professor Oobleck, who stood at the front of the room, fidgeting with a pile of books. Ethan leaned over and whispered, "Doesn't he look like a crack addict?"
I stifled a laugh and tried to focus on the lecture, but Ethan's comment had me struggling to keep a straight face.
As the lecture went on, I couldn't help but notice that Aroche, the other member of our team, shared some striking similarities with the scruffy professor. They both had unkempt hair and a wild-eyed look that made them seem like they were always on the verge of a caffeine-fueled meltdown.
Soon after, Aroche and Professor Oobleck seemed to bond over their shared love of coffee, exchanging knowing glances and nodding in agreement as the professor rambled on about the history of Remnant.
As the class ended, I gathered my things and stole a cup of coffee from Aroche as a slight get back for his lack of waking us up this morning.
After the World History class, Ethan, Aroche, Ross, and I went to the cafeteria for lunch. As we sat down and started chatting about our courses, I noticed a group of older students eying us from across the room.
Honestly, I didn't care, and I just focused on my food and continued talking with the others, but soon enough, one of the bullies approached our table, obviously attempting to pick a fight with one of us.
However, as he turned his attention to Ross, an octopus Faunus, things started to get out of hand. The bully attempted to rip out some of Ross's hair, and even though Ross seemed like he was about to, I wasn't gonna just let that slide.
Stepping in front of Ross, I not-so-nicely commanded him to stop, and he threw what I could only interpret as a pitiful attempt at a punch.
"Self-defense is now justified," I said, quickly turning to action. Thunder rumbled throughout the room as I landed a punch of my own, knocking the bully to the ground unconscious.
The room fell silent as everyone stared at me in shock, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest.
After a moment of tense silence, the headmaster, Professor Ozpin, appeared at our table, his expression grave.
"Zack, Ethan, Ross," he said, "I want to see you in my office." "Woah, woah, woah, what did I do?" Ethan shouted. The headmaster quipped back saying, "You are my oh-so-valuable bystander Ethan, and besides, you're on his team, aren't you?"
Ethan looked like he was about to continue arguing but quickly realized it was useless, relegating himself to following the other two.
We all looked at each other, hoping we weren't about to get kicked out of the school on our first day.
After the incident at lunch, I found myself sitting in Professor Ozpin's office with Ross and Ethan, waiting for him to arrive and hear our side of the story.
Ross was quiet, apparently still shaken from the incident, while Ethan tried his best to keep the conversation light, making small talk about the office's decor.
When Professor Ozpin finally arrived, he sat behind his desk and regarded us all gravely.
"Can you explain to me what happened at lunch today?" he asked, his voice low and measured.
I spoke up, explaining how the bully had targeted Ross and how I had felt compelled to intervene. I knew violence probably wasn't the best answer, but I couldn't just stand by and watch someone get hurt.
Professor Ozpin listened carefully, his expression inscrutable. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
"While I understand your reasons," he said. "In the future, I would ask that you try to limit your physical retaliation."
He then dismissed us, telling us to return to our dorms for the rest of the day. As we left his office, I couldn't help but be frustrated. I knew that I had acted impulsively, but the other kid had attempted to harm one of my team members and there is no universe where I just let that slide.